A Sasuke Carol
by festival-chan loves books
Summary: It's Christmas, and Sasuke needs to be taught a lesson. SasuSaku, NaruHina.
1. Mom?

Yupyup, I know it's been done.

Stick with me on this one, though. If I'm particularly happy about your reviews and Alerts and stuff, I'll update it fast.

I have the entire thing written!

So let me know if you want to read it. If not, I'll just go... work on the stuff I should be working on.

* * *

Kabuto's dumb little radio played Christmas songs.

Orochimaru hung up stockings. One for himself, one for Kabuto, and one for Sasuke. He did this, apparently, every Christmas eve.

Sasuke stood up. His tall thin form cast an eerie shadow over the room, and the light from the fire caused the dark shadows under his eyes to stand out. He had grown since his time in Konoha, and had turned into a tall, lanky, and disaffected teenager.

"I'm leaving," he growled.

"But, Kabuto's making cookies!" said Orochimaru, faking a puppydog look.

Sasuke felt sickened.

"I hate sweet things."

And with that, Sasuke slammed the door and left.

He ran and ran, letting his feet take him wherever he went. The song on Kabuto's dumb little radio ran through his mind.

I'll... be home... for Christmas... You... can count... on me...

Where was Sasuke's home?

Oh, he knew the answer, but he wasn't about to admit it to himself. He mentally smacked himself and muttered, "Oi, Sasuke, what's getting into you? December 25th is just a date. Nothing to get nostalgic about..."

He grew weary. Finally, putting one foot in front of the other was tiring him horribly, and he sank down next to a tree. He didn't even know where he was, but he knew if he kept traveling, he would get someplace. But now, he was just too tired.

Fading in and out of consciousness, Sasuke found himself trying to remember his parent's faces.

His dad had tired eyes and longish black hair.

His mom was harder to see, but when she came to his mind's eye, it felt like she came to his real eyes too.

Sasuke saw her- yellow apron, long black hair, pretty, gentle black eyes.

She was walking- walking toward him.

"Sasuke, hon," she said.

"Mom?" he asked stupidly.

"It's me," she said kindly, putting her hand on his shoulder.

He jumped up to embrace her.

"You never did this when I was alive," she said, hugging him back.

Was he- taller than her? She'd seemed so large and warm back then. Now she was small- thin-

But still warm.

"You're dead," he said. "How are you- Why are you- warm?"

"Sh," she said. "Don't ask."

"Is it permanent?" he asked, hoping against hope. "And... Dad?"

"There is no jutsu to bring back the dead," his mom said quietly. "Permanently, anyway. Sorry, sweetie. Your daddy... He is dead. I will be, too. I've got to go back soon."

Go... back? Sasuke was confused, horribly confused, but continued his mother's embrace. He couldn't let her go. She was warm, and alive (for the moment), and he missed her horribly.

"I'm here to tell you that on the hour tonight, you will get a visit from a ghost."

"Are you a ghost?"

She paused. "Sort of."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean... I'm not a ghost, but I'm not alive. Sort of like someone took this body and brought me back to it."

"Could I do that too, if I wanted to?"

"No. And you don't want to!" she said firmly. "The dead should remain dead. Don't try and keep me here after I leave, Sasuke. I love you and I will stay as long as I can. But once I leave, that's it!"

He nodded.

"Now, I have to repeat my message."

He nodded again.

"Every hour, on the hour, tonight- you will be visited by a ghost. Until three o'clock. Understand?"

He nodded a third time.

His mom sighed. "There, now that we've got that out of the way, I have to leave in five minutes."

Five minutes? Every question Sasuke had ever wanted to ask his mom went straight out of his mind, and later he didn't regret it. She pulled him down and they sat. She held him in her arms, and for the first time in many years, Sasuke felt a parent's love again.

"Your father wanted to come tonight, too," she said. "He's so sorry he couldn't. But he said to tell you he loved you too. And that we'll see you again. We hope."

"I hope so too." The words came out of a half-conscious Sasuke. He hardly knew what he was saying-only that it was true.

"I've got to go now," she said.

She stood up and walked away through the trees.

"Don't follow me," she said. "You can't."

"Mom?" Sasuke cried, fully awake.

"Goodbye, Sasuke," she said, a tear falling down her cheek. It was nothing compared to his dripping face. He'd just remembered all the things he wanted to ask her and she was walking away-

"Mom- Mom- no, don't!" He yelled after her, reaching out, but somehow unable to move.

And she disappeared.

Forgetting what she said entirely, Sasuke sank down again and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sasuke's a little OOC... 


	2. Chouji Is The Ghost of Christmas Past?

Chapter 2! Since some people put this on Alert, I figured I might as well update it.

So... here you go!

* * *

Sasuke woke up a while later.

Chouji stood before him.

"Oye, you. You're up. Took you forever."

"Chouji?" asked Sasuke, a little confused.

"Nope."

Okay, now Sasuke was really confused.

"I just look like this because that's what you expect."

"I assume that's supposed to make sense."

"It doesn't?"

"Nope."

"Then just call me Chouji. I'm actually the Ghost of Christmas Past."

"...Oh."

The Ghost of Christmas Past just sighed. "Come on, Sasuke. You gotta see some things."

Sasuke glared at him.

"Can't I have my mom back?"

'Chouji' sighed.

"Sorry, kid. I ain't in charge."

"Then who is?" Sasuke asked desperately.

"Chouji" laughed. "I ain't allowed to tell ya that, either. I'm kinda... In your terms, I'm a chuunin. Higher up'n some, lower'n the rest."

This made sense.

"Your mom... she's kinda like... oh, what's-it-called... a genin. You gotta be to come back. The rest- I'm guessin' your dad's one of the rest- are like regular people."

He nodded. "Yup. Got a grasp of it?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Now, the Kage's the one that gets to come back whenever... well, you get it. Genins don't get to come back often. I'm a chuunin. I come back oftener but I'm not as important. Yer next ghost's gonna be what you'd call a jounin."

Sasuke nodded.

"Then after that I guess you've got the Sannin. Right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Ya better behave around that guy. Now you get it, let's go!"

He grabbed Sasuke's hand, and before Sasuke could give him a good beating for such a breach of etiquette, they were whisked off.

They landed in Konoha.

"Hey, stupid, I'm not supposed to be here. Get me out. They'll kill me."

Sasuke glared at "Chouji".

"Relax. They can't see you. This is a few years ago. When you were seven or so."

"Seven?"

"Yeah, just before your parents were killed."

Geez, thought Sasuke. Tactful.

Then again, it wasn't like it was a big secret with this guy. And suddenly it didn't matter.

They peered in at the window at the Uchihas having a happy moment. Sasuke'd just opened a present.

The first thought that crossed through Sasuke's mind was:

I was a really cute little kid...

The second was:

I was really happy here.

The third was:

Thanks to this, Itachi's death is gonna be just a little more painful.

"Er, kid? That's not the point of this exercise," said "Chouji".

"Huh?" said Sasuke.

"You just said that out loud."

"Oh, whoops."

"And that's not the point of this. I need you to understand the whole family thing. You know why you were so happy?"

Sasuke thought. Hard. And gave his good-boy answer. "Because I was with my family?"

"No." "Chouji" laughed. "Actually, you were happy because you were seven and getting presents. But you know what you miss?"

"The presents?" asked Sasuke.

"No. Your family," said "Chouji".

Sasuke slumped. He leaned against the window.

"And I'll never get them back."

"Chouji" shook his head. "Sorry, kid."

"Then what am I doing here?" asked Sasuke. "I still don't get it! What are you trying to show me?"

"I'm trying to show you where you belong."

Where he belonged.

It had a nice, fluffy feel to it- a fluffy feel that Sasuke's life had never had.

"I belong just fine where I am," Sasuke lied.

"Chouji" smiled. "That ain't the truth."

"Well, I don't care if I belong. I've got to kill Itachi and I've got to do it before I die. I've got to avenge my parents. And don't try to stop me!"

"Kid-"

"I'm not a kid. I was a kid then-" Sasuke pointed to the window to his happy, warm house- "-But I'm not anymore. I'm going back to the forest now."

"Hold your horses. I've got one more memory to show you, and then I'm done. Got it?"

Sasuke glared at him.

"Look... punk, if you don't come with me you're not going back to the forest, either."

Sasuke mutely relented.

"Good!"

Sasuke was whisked away to another memory. This time, it was at Kakashi's tiny house.

"Sasuke..." pleaded Naruto.

Young Sasuke looked at what Naruto was holding. "No. Not just no, but-"

"Hello, kids!" said Kakashi, diverting their attention away from the fluffy red and white hat with a cotton ball on the end. "I've got your presents, and a lovely young lady has decided to join us!"

Sakura blushed in the doorway.

"Hey, Sakura! Look! Mistletoe!" yelled Naruto. There was indeed mistletoe above her head.

"If you even think about it-" growled Sakura, blush gone and replaced with angry heat. "But if Sasuke wants to-"

The shy blush returned.

"No."

"But I do, Sakura-chan!"

"But I don't want you to, baka."

"Well, he doesn't want to, either!"

"Hmph."

"Now, now," said Kakashi. "Let's just open presents."

Naruto tore into his. Sasuke carefully peeled off the tape, and slowly unfolded the wrapping paper. Sakura too carefully peeled off the tape, but, unable to stand it, tore into hers as Naruto did.

"Cool!" yelled Naruto, displaying his new, sharp, and shiny kunai and examining it. "Thanks so much, sensei!" His gratitude was overpowering. Kakashi beamed at them. Or it looked like he did, it being hard to tell.

Sasuke, too, was examining a weapon, only his was a fancy shuriken.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei," he muttered.

Sakura's present was also a weapon, only of a much more dangerous sort.

She examined the short sword and ran her finger along the blade, causing a drop of blood to come out.

"I like it," she said, absorbed in the hilt.

Sasuke watchd her. She was absorbed in the gift, and somehow looked more like a kunoichi than ever.

Somehow she was very pretty. Even several years ago, he knew how she would turn out. And he admired her more than he ever had.

He stepped into the room, for some reason wanting to touch her pink hair just once.

Just as he reached out to touch her, she jumped up to hug Kakashi and thank him for the present.

Christmas Past whistled and sighed. "Sorry, punk."

"That's why I wanted-" Sasuke broke off. Sakura was back to annoyingly hovering over him. The moment was lost.

"You're welcome, Sakura," said Kakashi, beaming. He went on to describe the weapons. "Sasuke, Naruto, yours are made out of really good, strong, and easily cleaned metal. Take care of them- they'll last a lot longer than regular kunai and also can be activated with chakra to make them much more deadly. Sakura, yours is a chakra blade too, and also of good metal."

The kids nodded.

"And now, for some non-ninja gifts."

Sasuke turned away. He remembered the rest. Sakura and Naruto, having gone shopping together, had bought him some keychains. He pulled out from his pocket the shuriken Kakashi had given him. He'd hooked onto the middle hollow ring the charms. He hadn't been sure why at the time, he'd been in a hurry to leave Konoha behind forever.

Why had he taken this piece of it with him, if he'd truly wanted to leave it behind him forever?

This question nagged at him to answer it to himself, because he knew the answer but wouldn't let himself believe it.

"You still have them, I see..."

Sasuke nodded.

"Well, this is the last memory I've got to show you. I'll take you back now and you can sleep a bit, wait for the next ghost, all that."

Sasuke nodded, and before he could blink was back in the forest alone.

Suddenly he missed the houses, and basked in their memory before falling asleep again.

* * *

Reviewers get... Christmas cookies! 


	3. The Ghost of Christmas Future

Sasuke woke up to a dark hooded figure looming over him.

"Who're you?" he asked disorientedly. The dude creeped him out.

It shook its covered head and pulled him up.

He assumed it was the Ghost of Christmas Future.

It grabbed his hand again and they were pulled away to a dark place.

Naruto was on his hands and knees, pounding on the ground with his fist.

Sakura was sobbing. They weren't much older than he had seen them last. In fact, they looked to be only two or so years older.

"Why, why, why?" growled Naruto with every pound of his fist on the grassy floor. "How could he-"

Kakashi arrived. He said nothing, only stared at the small makeshift offering the other two had set up.

"I can't believe it," said Kakashi in a hollow voice.

Sakura continued to sob. Sasuke wanted to ask what was wrong, what was going on, why was she crying? Could he fix it?

The last question came unbidden.

They all stood there for seemingly hours.

Kakashi moved to put an arm around Sakura once, and she pulled away.

"Sensei-" hiccup, sniffle- "I appreciate your kindness, but I can't accept it. Not now."

"Couldn't you have just waited another day to tell us? Not on Christmas for-" demanded Naruto, but he broke off when his voice cracked.

Another long silence.

"Sakura," Naruto said softly. "I'll do anything for you if it helps." He seemed to have recovered. "I love Hinata, you know I do, you know more than anyone else how much, but if you need me, whenever, I'll be there for you." He looked up. "I failed, Sakura. I failed to keep my promise to-"

Naruto didn't quite end it with the tone of one finishing a sentence. A tear fell on the ground, from his nose.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I'll never fail you again."

Kakashi stared at their makeshift offering, still hollow-looking.

"I tried," he said. "I tried to keep him here, I did, I tried, maybe I didn't try hard enough-"

He too broke off.

Sakura sobbed.

Meanwhile, Sasuke's mind was reeling. Him? Did they mean... Sasuke? Had he died? What had happened?

Two years, two years, the thought echoed in his head-

And then it clicked. Two years was when Orochimaru next changed bodies.

The still-hooded Christmas Future grabbed his hand, and they were pulled away.

Sasuke next saw Orochimaru talking to Kabuto. Sasuke, though, was positioned between them so that he saw only Orochimaru.

Orochimaru laughed and slowly pulled his skin off.

His laugh turned to a familiar one- the eyes turned to- the nose- the hair- the skin- the face- all...

_Sasuke's_.

Sasuke stepped back. He'd known from day one that this was what Orochimaru intended, what Kabuto intended, what everyone knew would happen to him.

He hadn't cared, though, not a bit. But now he saw the finish, what really was going to happen- he couldn't. He could hardly equate these two with the cookie-loving duo that he'd left behind that night.

But then again, he actually could.

Sasuke stared at Christmas Future.

"You're pretty horrible, aren't you?" he asked, trying to be brave.

Christmas Future pulled back his hood.

Sasuke's mind reeled.

It was a man- tall, slender, with the Sharingan. A man with two wrinkles down the side of his face- wrinkles he'd had since Sasuke could remember.

And Sasuke could remember a long time back _with his brother_.

Christmas Future looked exactly like Itachi.

"Take me back, now," said Sasuke. "You aren't really him, are you?" he asked, breathing heavily, heart racing.

Christmas Future shook his head no.

"Good," said Sasuke, relaxing. "But take me back. Now. I want to go _home_."

And now he knew where home was- Home was with Team 7, home was with people who would miss him, home was with the dobe and the annoying girl and the stupid, bloodline-thieving sensei, home was Konoha, home was where he'd left it all those years ago.

Christmas Future proved to be a lot more obedient than Itachi, and brought Sasuke back to the forest.


	4. A Happy Ending

Sasuke landed in the forest alone.

He heard footsteps coming up behind him. Wildly, still terrified from his earlier fright with Orochimaru, Sasuke activated his Sharingan.

"Hey, there's a person up ahead," someone said.

Sasuke would know that voice anywhere.

His heart skipped a beat. After all these years- it was- he'd get to see... And if it was her, probably...

"That's a really familiar chakra-" yelled-

It was them! Sasuke could cry with joy. But he wouldn't. It was unlike him.

"That's-" he heard a girl say wonderingly. Not just any girl, either.

A girl with pink hair.

Sasuke intercepted her in her jump from tree to another tree, and, not caring what he was doing, flung his arms around her.

"Sasuke-" she breathed. "It's you, after all these years..."

"It is," he said.

"Are you home for good?" she asked.

"Home... Yeah," he said, liking the sound of it. "I'm home."

"Is that really... him?" asked Naruto.

"It is," said Sakura, and he heard a slight break in her voice.

"Are you on our side?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke, hardly able to talk, nodded.

"He's not lying," added the voice of Neji Hyuuga, sounding amazed.

"You sure?" asked Kiba. "I mean, for all we know..."

"That is Sasuke Uchiha, and he is not lying," said Neji again. "It's not a clone. It's his chakra signature. And he is not lying. There is absolutely no way to bypass that. Without practicing in front of a Hyuuga."

Sasuke, glad that they weren't trying to kill him, continued to hold Sakura.

"Won't Orochimaru be coming after us now?" asked Kiba.

"Yeah," said Sasuke. "He won't find me, though. I hide my tracks from him. It won't keep him away forever, but it's good enough, and I can tell you how to take him down."

"What brought this about?" asked Kiba suspiciously.

"He finally told me his plans for me," lied Sasuke quickly and efficiently.

"Don't lie," said Neji.

"I finally figured out where home is," Sasuke said.

Everyone turned to Neji.

"He's not lying, although I don't think that's the whole truth either."

"So are you going to permanently ally with Konoha? Or are you plotting with Orochimaru or someone to take over the city or something?" asked Neji.

"I am going to permanently ally with Konoha. I do not want to destroy the city. I want to live there," Sasuke said.

Neji nodded. "He isn't lying. Let's just go home. I'm tired."

"Sasuke, you can let go of me now," said Sakura.

"Sakura," said Sasuke.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I won't ever leave you again."

She started to cry. He could feel his sleeve getting wet.

"Let's go home," she said.

Sasuke ran with her.

"Are you going to rejoin Team seven?" she asked.

Sasuke pondered. "Possibly."

"You're kinda talkative, now," she said, and then chuckled. "I can't believe you're back," she said softly.

"Well, believe it," he said.

"Hey! That's my line!" yelled Naruto.

"Oh, yeah, and you're invited the the Christmas party tomorrow. We had a Secret Santa planned out, and... well, you didn't get one, but you can come anyway. I'll give you a gift," she said.

Sasuke was silent. Sakura let him stay at her house for the night. Her mom gave him the couch to sleep on.

The next day dawned bright and Christmas-y. Sasuke didn't get or give any presents, but frankly, he was so glad to see everyone again that neither he nor they really cared. Presents had sort of lost their luster with him, anyway, and most people were glad to see him back. Kakashi, however, with the approval of Tsunade, gave him a Konoha headband. And really, that was all he wanted.

Well, maybe...

That night, at the Christmas party, everything happened as it had during his vision except instead of sitting on the couch and admiring Shikamaru's gift to her, Sakura gave her present to Sasuke.

"And now it's time for Sasuke's present!" shrieked Ino. She was way too excited about this. It frankly disturbed Sasuke.

Sakura walked up to him, holding nothing in her hands.

Which was kinda weird. Really, was she going to be all "my-love-for-you-is-my-present" or what? Not that her love would have been a bad thing. He was planning on asking her out, actually, he wasn't really sure when, but it would be soon. Naruto had asked Hinata out after the present-giving. And if the dobe could do it, he could too.

Sakura got to Sasuke, and said, "I love you," and kissed him.

Sasuke kissed her back. It ended amid a wolf whistle from Kiba and giggles from the girls.

"I like your present," he said, recovering his breath.

"That was yours to me, too," she said.

"Let's go out," said Sasuke.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," she said.

Sasuke suddenly felt lighter than air.

"Merry Christmas to all!" he shouted. "And to all, a good night!"


End file.
